'Digital divide' looming because of questions over NBN fibre roll-out

The Government says it cannot say which areas will get fibre-to-the-home and which will receive the NBN via other kinds of technology.

Rodolfo Clix, file photo: www.sxc.hu

A leading telecommunications analyst has warned it will be some time before a clear picture emerges of which areas will get fibre under the National Broadband Network (NBN) and which will not.

The Government has promised to deliver on existing NBN contracts, but yesterday the NBN Co updated its rollout maps, removing hundreds of thousands of premises that were scheduled to be connected to fibre optic cable.

Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull says the old maps were misleading because they listed areas as being "under construction" even though they were only at the planning stage.

But Paul Budde from telecommunications research site BuddeComm says the Government has made a political decision to redefine contracts.

"This Government says we only talk about work as commencing if somebody has put a spade in the ground, or is climbing on a pole," he said.

"People are therefore concerned that by changing the definition that they are becoming victims of that political language, of what's included and what's not included."

The Government says it cannot say which areas will get fibre-to-the-home and which will receive the NBN via other kinds of technology until after the NBN Co completes its 60-day review of the network, due in early December.

But Mr Budde says it will be much longer before the structure of the entire network is laid out.

"There will be some indications, but I think it will take much longer before you get a true clear picture of what the future is," he said.

"In a project like this you could easily make mistakes and then in half a year's time, or a year's time, you have to come back and say sorry, we didn't do it properly in the first 30 to 60 days and now we have to do it again.

"So I think that yes, there will be a report, but not everything will be cleared up in the 30 or 60 days from now, that will take much longer."

Mr Budde has warned of a digital divide emerging, where some households will be able to access services such as telehealth in their homes and others will not.

He is urging concerned communities to put pressure on the Government and says there are already community meetings happening in the Hunter Valley and Gosford in New South Wales, and in Ballarat in Victoria.

"There's not enough information from the Government at the moment," he said.

"Make a case to your politicians, to say 'Hey guys, hang on, we believe this is important for us, we don't want a digital divide - we want to be on the right side of the divide.'"